Английский для продвинутых. Живая беседа по теме Grandmother.

Kristin: I have just been out and about doin’ some shopping. I was, uh, here in The Mission and then I went to Haight Street, just goin’ to some secondhand stores.

Joe: Oh, okay.

Kristin: One of my favorite things to do.

Joe: Yeah, cool.

Kristin: So who are you just ge-, gettin’ off the phone with?

Joe: Oh, I was speakin’ to my grandmother.

Kristin: How’s she doing?

Joe: Yeah, she’s doin’ okay. She was actually feelin’ under the weather last week but, uh, now she’s alright.

Kristin: Oh, did she just have a cold or somethin’?

Joe: Yeah, she said that there was somethin’ goin’ around. Uh, my aunt had it and my niece had it. So she might have caught it from one of them.

Kristin: Oh, okay.

Joe: Yeah. Y’know, speaking with my grandmother on the phone, sometimes I feel like I’m a little kid again…

Kristin: Yeah, why is that?

Joe: …I get like transported back to the time when we used to live close together and, uh, y’know, and I was a kid. I mean my grandparents, when I was growin’ up, they lived just like a stone’s throw away from us. Maybe like, I don’t know, two miles or somethin’. So we used to…

Kristin: Wow.

Joe: …see them all the time.

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: Yeah, it was awesome. I mean, y’know, when you’re a kid one of your favorite things is to see your grandparents.

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: Y’know, it’s like you get to escape the discipline of your parents for a little bit.

Kristin: Right.

Joe: And, y’know, your grandparents, they’ll always shower you with attention. And, y’know, my grandmother would always, y’know, make us some sweets. And, y’know, and she was just always like, uh, always really, uh, uh, happy to see us, y’know?

Kristin: Uh-huh. Yeah, I never had the luxury of even, uh, being around one set of grandparents. My dad’s parents died before I was born so I never even met them. And then my, uh, mom’s parents, we lived close to them but not as close as, as you to your grandparents. I’d say it was like a twenty to thirty minute drive. And that was only until I was eight, ‘coz then we moved away from Michigan to Georgia. So then it would be seein’ them once a year.

Joe: Yeah, I mean, my brothers and I were really fortunate to have both sets of grandparents around.

Kristin: Yeah, you were.

Joe: Uh, and, uh, I mean, my, my father’s parents moved down to Florida when we were like eight years old. And, y’know, that, that was a bummer for us at the time, uh. But at least my mom’s parents lived around us, y’know, until we were teenagers…

Kristin: Mm-hm.

Joe: …and we moved to Pennsylvania.

Kristin: Mm-hm.

Joe: But it’s uncommon these days. I mean the generations before us always had their family right near them.

Kristin: Right.

Joe: I mean, I hear these stories from my grandmother. She says that her entire family lived in like one, y’know, on one block. And that wasn’t uncommon. I mean, a lot of the times they would, uh, the whole family would live in the same house. Usually people didn’t leave until they got married. And even if they did leave and get married, they lived just down the block.

Joe: Uh, and, uh, I mean, my, my father’s parents moved down to Florida when we were like eight years old. And, y’know, that, that was a bummer for us at the time, uh. But at least my mom’s parents lived around us, y’know, until we were teenagers…

Kristin: Mm-hm.

Joe: …and we moved to Pennsylvania.

Kristin: Mm-hm.

Joe: But it’s uncommon these days. I mean the generations before us always had their family right near them.

Kristin: Right.

Joe: I mean, I hear these stories from my grandmother. She says that her entire family lived in like one, y’know, on one block. And that wasn’t uncommon. I mean, a lot of the times they would, uh, the whole family would live in the same house. Usually people didn’t leave until they got married. And even if they did leave and get married, they lived just down the block.

Kristin: Well, speaking of the same block… That, that, uh, made me think of my brother. My younger brother, when he was in high school, dated this girl and her whole family lived on the same street. And I can remember thinkin’ how strange that was.

Joe: Yeah, I mean, now it is.

Kristin: Yeah.

Joe: But back then it wasn’t at all.

Kristin: Yeah, right.

Joe: Yeah. Oh, when I was talkin’ to my grandmother, as we do a lot of the times, I was reminiscing with her about when I was younger. And, y’know, um, y’know, we…. Not only did we live very close to my grandparents, we all went to the same church. So, y’know, every Sunday afternoon we’d see them at church and we’d sit near them. And, uh, then after church was over I’d always like beg my parents to let us go over to my grandparents’ house. And, y’know, we’d go over there and eat dinner. And I’d watch baseball games with my grandfather. So that was always a lot of fun, y’know.

Kristin: Uh-huh.

Joe: It was just, y’know, just spending time with them, y’know.

Kristin: Yeah, was it…

Joe: We just had a great time.

Kristin: Was it like a big Sunday dinner?

Joe: Oh yeah, and my grandmother would cook a huge meal. And, my grandmother was an amazing cook. She would always cook like some amazing Italian dinner…

Kristin: Mmmmm.

Joe: …and, y’know, we just loved goin’ over there for that reason as well.

Kristin: Oh, that’s great.

out and about: going from place to place

The Mission: short for The Mission District; a neighborhood in San Francisco